Born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928, this African- American poet, author, historian, playwright, actress and civil rights activist (just to name a few things) grew up in Missouri and in Stamps, Arkansas. Her parents divorced when she was about three years old and she and her brother, Bailey, who was named after their father, were sent to Arkansas to live with their grandmother. Although the older woman was very loving and nurturing, after five years of being separated from their mother, the Johnson children were sent back to St. Louis to live with her. Here Maya’s young life took a terrible and violent turn, for her mother’s boyfriend subsequently raped her. This so deeply affected her that she could not speak at all for five years afterwards.
Going back and forth between mother and grandmother had a profound influence on her early instability and it took Maya some time to discern her own inner core within a world of chaos that was neither her choice nor design. She struggled rather than blossomed into maturity and had her only son, Guy, at the tender age of sixteen.
She was a dancer in her early twenties and was given the name Maya Angelou when she made her debut at the Purple Onion cabaret. Her first book, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” (1969), is actually an autobiography and it was nominated for the National Book Award. Her five other book are also autobiographies, mirroring different aspects and time periods in her most productive and distinguished life. Her fifth book and last autobiography to date is “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes,” which was published in 1986.
Maya Angelou has traveled extensively and worked as a journalist. She was named a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar and has been the recipient of a Yale University fellowship. Her achievements are far too numerous to reiterate here and in conclusion one can only say that the lady is a most poised, accomplished and true woman of substance.
What are some of your favorite Maya Angelou writings? Please share.